Honeybee
by VelvetNixie
Summary: When Terezi cheats on Karkat with his best friend, Karkat doesn't want to live anymore. But when Sollux shows up, Karkat starts to regain his old life, piece by piece. Crappy summary is crappy. HumanStuck Eventual SolKar Gamrezi Rated M for swearing and possible future mature themes
1. Prologue

I remember the day I lost my will to live.

I was about to propose to my girlfriend of three years, Terezi. I had loved her for even longer. The box was hidden in my hand; I let myself into her apartment with my key, and stopped dead at the sight that greeted me. The sight of one of my closest friends, Gamzee, straddling Terezi on the table, kissing lustfully and passionately, stopped all cognitive motion in my brain.

The key dropped from my hand in slow motion, the clatter of it hitting the floor the equivalent of thunder in my ears.

Both Gamzee and Terezi glanced at the door as I fled.

Terezi's pleas to wait, that I didn't understand, that she was sorry echoed down the hallway behind me, chasing me to the elevator was sprinting to. No, the elevator would take too long. I took a left instead, racing down the stairs to my car.

I didn't look back.

Locking myself in the small house that I had bought a year previously, I vowed never to leave. I buried myself under a pile of blankets and sobbed myself to sleep.

Months passed. I entertained myself by watching romantic comedies and crying. People tried to visit me, but I refused to open the door. Terezi never visited. The only time I ever left the house was to go to work or buy food. The only time I talked to anyone was when they asked me a direct question, which I responded to with a one or two word answer.

Looking back, I realize that it wasn't a life worth living, but back then, I didn't want to live.

A year passed. Two years. People started to tell me to move on. Soon they stopped talking to me altogether.

I cried every day, about the stupidest things. Before the breakup, if you could call it that, I used to never cry, instead using swear words to express my emotions. Now, it was like a faucet was turned on inside of me, and my tears spilled like rain down my cheeks. I fell into a stupor, going through the motions, not really knowing what I was doing.

Halfway through the third year, I was jolted awake by a familiar, lispy voice that I hadn't heard since high school.

"KK, it's time to live again."


	2. Chapter 1

"_KK, it's time to live again."_ The slightly lisped words pierced my stupor, cutting through my dark world like a ray of light. Unfortunately, the metaphorical light hurt my eyes. I burrowed deeper into the blankets. "No. Go away." For a brief moment, I hoped that I was hallucinating; just pretending that he was here. I didn't want to leave the comfortable daze that my life had become.

"KK, get up." The owner of the voice ripped the blankets off of my body, blinding my eyes with the unexpected light. I curled into my mattress, refusing to move. This only resulted in the bed frame being tilted onto its side, dumping me onto the floor.

My eyes still adjusting to the light, I raged blindly. "Sollux, what the fuck? How did you even get in here, the door was locked! Why won't you people just leave me alone?" Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them back stubbornly. This was the first time in three years that I had felt properly pissed off, and it felt good. I felt almost like my old self.

"Glad to see you still remember me," smirked Sollux. "TZ called me up and told me about… what happened. She gave me her key." He dangled the keys in front of my face.

Growling ill-temperedly, I snatched the key from him and slammed it down on the bedside table. "Why are you here?"

Sollux sighed and wearily ran a hand through his hair. "Terezi was worried—"

"That bitch doesn't care about me."

"Fine I was worried about you. I got calls weekly from TZ and NP telling me about you and begging me to come. When I stopped answering the calls, they switched to emails, and started sending them daily." Sighing again, Sollux flipped the bed back to its original position and sat down. "Jesus KK, what even happened? Every time TZ tried to talk about it she jumbled everything up and started to mutter about justice and coins. What happened to you? Nobody except NP has seen you in three years. You can't disappear from the world just because your girlfriend cheated on you."

"You don't understand," I muttered, looking away.

"No, I think you don't understand. You don't understand why TZ cheated on you. You don't understand that you can't hole yourself up in your house and pretend you don't exist. You don't understand how to fucking _move on_, Karkat."

Rage broiled up in me once more. Who was Sollux to decide whether I understood or not? He hadn't seen any of us since graduation, since his parents could actually afford to send him somewhere other than a state school. He hadn't seen us for years! He had no idea what was going on in my life! "Fine," I snarled, "tell me then. Why did Terezi break up with me?"

"You wanted her in every way like a lovesick fool! You obsessively had her report to you which friends she hung out with, what she said, and if she talked to any guys while she was there. You didn't give her any space to _breath_, KK!" My vision was turning black at the edges. I staggered against the wall. Fuck, when was the last time I ate? I didn't have the energy to stand, let alone have a verbal sparring match with Sollux. "Fuck, Karkat, what's wrong?" Actually sounding scared, Sollux caught me as my knees gave out and I crumpled to the ground. Swinging me up into a bridal style position, he began to carry me out of my house. When did he get so strong? Usually he couldn't even carry his own suitcase…

The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Sollux's worried face, telling me I was going to be fine.

"…malnutrition, and severe trauma." I opened my eyes to find myself in a hospital bed, covered by starchy white sheets with an IV stuck in my arm. A machine stood nearby, beeping steadily along with my heartbeat. The fluorescent lights gleamed on all the white sterile objects in the room. The stiff hospital scrubs rubbed uncomfortably along me, making my skin itch irritably. Sollux was sitting in a chair across from the hospital bed, head in his hands, a nurse standing in front of him and blocking most of his profile from my view. The nurse was giving him what sounded like a lecture on what was wrong with me. "As soon as he wakes up, he should be able to be discharged. However, he will need supervision. Someone should be living with him, making sure he's eating three times a day, and eating healthily. You said he lives alone?"

"Yes." Sollux's voice was a hoarse rasp.

"Someone should move in with him, live with him a while. It doesn't have to be permanent, just for a couple months or so."

My throat was sandpaper. "S-Sollux…"

He immediately got up and moved to the side of the bed. "Karkat, you're awake."

"Y-Yeah…"

The nurse bustled over and began to take the IV out of my arm. Looking at me with stern eyes, she set a tray with a plastic-wrapped sandwich, an apple, a water bottle, and a bag of chips on it down in front of me. "When was the last time you ate?" she rebuked, hands on her hips.

I guiltily took a bite of the sandwich. "I don't know, maybe a couple days ago?"

Shaking her head in disbelief, the nurse finished detaching me from all the equipment and started to leave. Pausing in the doorway, she said, "When you finish eating, you can change back into your clothes and check out at the front desk." She closed the door quietly behind her.

Taking a swig of the water, I continued to eat ravenously, with Sollux watching warily. After about ten minutes, all that remained on the tray was crumbs, the core of the apple, and the empty chip bag. I slowly took small swallows of the water, savoring the feel of the cool liquid against my dry throat. Leaving the empty water bottle on the tray, I dressed as quickly as my slightly shaking fingers would allow. Sollux drove me to my house in silence, meticulously stopping at every stop sign or red light. The quiet seemed to press against my head, overwhelming my mind. I couldn't take it anymore; I had to say something. "So I guess you'll be moving in?" _Stupid thing to say, stupid stupid stupid…_

"Yeah, I guess."

I waited for him to say something more, but he didn't continue. I rummaged in the back of my mind for something else to say. Finding nothing, I let the silence fill the car again, thinking back on the conversation between Sollux and the nurse in the hospital. A question sprang to mind.

"You said you weren't living with anyone of importance."

He grunted in reply.

"So does that mean you were living with someone?"

Sollux exhaled heavily before speaking. "I was living with my girlfriend, now ex-girlfriend, Aradia for a while, but then she cheated on me with some guy named Equius. Right before I left to see you she came back and said her fling with him was a mistake, and that she still loved me."

"How did you respond?" I asked, curious.

"I didn't."

"Right."

Sollux dropped me off at my house, telling me that he'd be back in an hour with his stuff. For once, after entering my house, I didn't bother to lock the door behind me. I tried to entertain myself with one of my favorite romcoms, but I got bored after only a couple minutes of watched; I had watched it too many times over the last two years and had all the script and plot sequence memorized. Even with the food in my system and the prospect of having a housemate, I didn't feel quite like myself yet. As a matter of fact, I felt rather sick and dizzy. Focusing on the kitchen table, I took deep breaths, trying to clear my spinning head. A barrage of memories assaulted my brain. That table had been the table that Terezi and I ate romantic dinners at in candlelight, and where she came over to cook breakfast and set presents on when it was my birthday. A table, with Terezi and Gamzee on top of it…

Rage swept through me like a tsunami, and I bounded across the room towards the table. Anger gave me strength to toss the wooden table onto its side, smashing the dishes that had been resting on it and breaking off a leg. It wasn't enough. I wanted everything to look as broken as I felt. I pounded the broken dishes with my fists until I was satisfied. All that remained of the dishes was red stained shards. Blood dripped from my hands onto the cold linoleum floor, and the fury that had filled me moments before drained me as fast as it had come. Pain started to register as I kneeled on the floor, watching the blood fall onto the floor.


	3. Chapter 2

The next day, Sollux forced me to go see a psychiatrist.

He had walked in to find me still in the kitchen, a large pool of blood from my hands in front of me. After freaking out, bandaging my hands, and freaking out again, he made several phone calls and scheduled me an appointment.

Instead of sleeping at eight in the morning, I was driving myself to an office building not far from where I worked. I walked to the reception desk and pulled out a slip of paper. "I'm here for a probably worthless appointment with Dr. Lalonde."

The secretary looked up and smiled. "Oh, greetings Karkat."

"Kanaya, what… You're a secretary? I thought you wanted to teach."

Kanaya pursed her lips. "There were no available opportunities for an inexperienced teacher like myself."

"I'm going to assume that was your way of saying you couldn't get a job."

"Yes." She typed rapidly on her laptop, took a sip of her tea, and waved me into the office. "Rose is ready to see you now."

I enter the office and sit down in the black leather chair in front of the desk. A young woman looked up from a notebook she had been scribbling in. Her eyes, framed by straight blonde hair cut into a stylish bob, were tinged slightly with lavender, and seemed to be analyzing everything about me.

"Hello, you must be Karkat." Her voice was refined and melodic. "I'm Dr. Lalonde, but you may call me Rose."

Glaring venomously at her, I chose not to answer.

Rose continued, not noticing, or if she noticed, not caring about my open hostility. "Kanaya has told me a lot about you." She took out a leather bound notebook and waited, pen poised expectantly. "Feel free to begin whenever you're ready. If you wish, you may help yourself to the chocolate." She gestured to a large candy bowl filled with Hershey's Kisses put to the side of her desk.

For the entire appointment, I refused to say anything, just unwrapping the chocolates and popping them in my mouth two at a time. I must have eaten at least half the bowl, judging by the size of the wrappers in front of me on the desk. When the hour long session was finally over, I swept out of the room, muttering a goodbye to Kanaya as I left.

Rose didn't actually make me say anything until the third appointment.

"Look, I'm fine with you mindlessly paying me to come here to sulk and eat chocolate, but I do have a conscience. Just start somewhere."

I tilted my chair back on two legs, staring at the ceiling and thinking. Where could I start? It was another three minutes of silence before I began.

"I guess it starts when I first met Terezi…"

_I was a new student going into fifth grade. Any child knows that fifth grade, along with eighth, is one of the worst years to be new; everyone already had their groups of friends, and weren't going to open their arms to a complete stranger they had never met. My parents had just died, and I was still getting used the the idea of having foster parents, resulting in my sulky attitude and short temper that eventually became a mask._

_On the first day of school, I wore my father's old sweater, which had become somewhat of a security blanket for me. I didn't realize what this would look like to the other students, or I just didn't care. _

_On the first day of school of the fifth grade, that was the introduction of the feeling of being bullied._

_For that whole year, I was bullied to the point of either bruises covering my arms and legs or of blood falling constantly from various scrapes or cuts. For the most part, my foster parents didn't notice. In their defense, I didn't tell them. I covered up my arms with sweaters, even when it was hot outside, refusing to reveal anything to them. They noticed halfway through sixth grade, and homeschooled me throughout the rest of sixth, seventh, and eighth._

_It was in ninth grade that I met Terezi._

_In late elementary school and all of middle school, I had set up barrier after barrier, protecting everything I considered weak inside of me. When I met Terezi, I wore the seemingly tough, grouchy, constantly swearing shield. She stripped all of that away, revealing the true part of me inside. Terezi ended everything bad in my life and started the good; she protected me from the last bits of bullying I still received and introduced me to all of her friends. She saved me that day._

_That was the day I fell in love._

I stopped talking abruptly, staring at my hands. The pen that was scribbling madly previously stuttered to a stop. Unconsciously unwrapping another chocolate, I popped it into my mouth, dissolving it slowly with my tongue. Rose and I sat in silence for the last ten minutes of the appointment.

I was distracted all through work and the dinner that Sollux had made. I picked at my food, barely eating.

"KK, when are you going to get a new job?" Sollux's voice jolted me out of my memories.

"What do you mean?" I answered defensively.

"You've been a waiter for three years." I focused on my food. "Didn't you major in something in college?"

"I-I don't remember."

"What do you mean, you don't—." He stopped, took a deep breath, and continued in a calmer tone. "You graduated, didn't you?"

"Yes but that was right before…" I swallowed hard.

"Okay fine. We can talk about this later."

I resented him asking questions, and then treating me like a cracked eggshell. Pushing my full plate away, I retreated to the bedroom that Sollux and I now shared only to receive a text from Kanaya.

**I Am Hosting A Party Tonight. I Would Be Honored If You And Sollux Attended.**

I texted her back quickly. My phone had long since been broken, resulting in the caps lock key being stuck so every word was completely capitalized.

**SURE SOUNDS FUN. WHAT TIME IS IT?**

**The Party Begins At Seven Thirty.**

I checked my watch; it was already seven ten. "Hey Sollux, let's go. We have a party to go to."


	4. Chapter 3

When we arrived to the party, the street was lined with cars and the house was packed with people. It came as something as a surprise to me and Sollux; we were expecting something quiet and dignified, something closer to Kanaya's style.

As people close to the door noticed me, they stopped talking and stared at us, or more accurately, me. The only noise in the front room was the background noise of people talking in other rooms and the throbbing bass of music. I glanced around at the other guests uneasily.

Finally someone broke the silence. "Good god, Karkat, is that you?" asked Vriska, an old friend from high school. I merely nodded in reply.

The silence was broken again by a cry of joy. "Karkitty!" A pair of arms flung themselves around my neck. Everyone laughed nervously and started up their conversations again.

"Nepeta," I muttered between clenched teeth, futilely trying to detach the arms.

"Karkitty, I'm so glad you came! Now the party is _purr_fect!" The girl drew out the syllable to make her cat pun more obvious and giggled. Her short brown curls bounced around her head, as if it was sharing her mirth.

At last, I was able to pries the arms off of my neck, I examined Nepeta. It had been a year since I last saw her; she used to work with me, but had left for a job with a better pay. Not much had changed. I was still a couple inches taller than her, which used to be a source of pride, as I am shorter than pretty much everyone else, and her big green eyes and brown hair were still the same. She still wore oversized button-down shirts, more often than not splattered with paint and hanging open to reveal an equally splattered t-shirt.

Behind me, I heard the sound of the door opening. I turned around to see an unfamiliar girl with dark brown hair and a muscular guy with greasy dirty-blonde hair. The girl stared straight at Sollux, her mouth slightly open. "S-Sollux?"

Coolly, he barely glanced at her before turning to leave. "Aradia."

There were so many dramatic showdowns going on, I hardly knew where to turn. Quickly making a decision so I wouldn't have to stand awkwardly by the door, I spun around to face Nepeta. "How about a drink?" As her entire face lit up, I felt a flash of guilt for using her, but I quickly stifled it as I followed her in to the throng of guests.

I spent most of the party by Nepeta's side, finally leaving it when she went over to talk to the guy that had accompanied Aradia to the party. Almost as soon as she left, I heard the dreaded voice that I had been trying to avoid all night.

"Hey Karkat." Terezi was standing in front of me, nervously brushing her red hair behind her ear.

I felt like a caged animal, with nowhere to run.

Thankfully a distraction appeared, saving me from answering.

"Lookit this hot stuff," drawled a voice. A girl sauntered over and wrapped an arm around my waist.

Another girl grabbed her other arm and tried to pull her away from me. "Meenah, come on!"

"You just want this hot bod." Meenah grinned maniacally. "Sorry Aranea; you aren't my type."

"You're drunk!"

"No, I'm not, but I wish I was."

Aranea groaned. "Meenah…"

"Ladies, ladies, calm the fuck down." Turning my back on Terezi, I faced the two friends. "I know you're attracted to me, but nobody should be fighting at a party."

Smirking, Meenah pulled out a sharpie, grabbed my arm, and wrote down a phone number. "You're cute. Call me sometime, okay?"

I looked at the number, knowing I probably would never call it. "Sure." I found Terezi long gone when I turned to talk to her. I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. Yet another person grabbed me and I was dragged through the party towards the door. Managing to wrench my arm free. I ran to keep up with the person, finding it to be a very angry and drunk Sollux.

He tried to pull out his car keys to drive us home, but I snatched them from his hand. "No way in the nine hells are you driving in this state." I pushed him into the passenger seat and was about to fasten his seatbelt when he pulled me into a sloppy kiss.

For a moment, all my senses were intensified. Sollux's hot tongue moving against my motionless mouth, his hand groping wildly at the back of my head, his other hand at my back, pulling me closer. I could hear the sound of the party continuing down the street and feel the cool spring breeze ruffle the bits of my hair that weren't being grabbed by Sollux.

Finally mustering the strength to shove him away, I finished fastening his seatbelt with fumbling hands and got in the car myself. My brain was in overdrive, scattered thoughts racing across my mind. Was that kiss real or was Sollux just drunk? After searching for a logical explanation in my mind for a few long minutes, I uneasily dismissed the whole thing as the effects of alcohol.

It only took ten minutes to drive home; the house that we now shared was in a neighborhood close by to Kanaya's. Looking over at the passenger seat next to me, I exasperatedly noted that Sollux had fallen into a drunken stupor. I heaved him into the house, but I wasn't strong enough to carry him to bed, giving up and leaving him lying face first on the chilled linoleum floor in the kitchen. I quickly changed and collapsed into my bed, hoping desperately that Sollux wouldn't remember any of this in the morning.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: *ahem* Now, I don't usually have author's notes in my Fictions, since y'all want to read the story and not me talking to myself, but I just wanted to say thank you for all the reviews and followings and favorites. Seriously. You made me cry, you guys are amazing. w**

"I think it's time that we look at your life goals." Rose looked at me over the top of her clipboard.

I hesitated, thinking back to my days in college. "I didn't really major in anything in college; I had planned to enter the army." I had been so naïve them, thinking that I actually had the guts to kill somebody. I knew now that I could never shoot someone, but back then I had no confidence in my academic skills and had seen it as my only option.

"And you have no desire now to carry out that plan?"

"Not anymore, no."

"Do you have any idea of what you'd like to do?"

"Well… I hadn't really thought about it."

"Well then." Rose snapped her notebook shut sharply. "I'm going to give you an assignment. Come back next week with a list of your goals that you might want to pursue, and we can start there."

Walking out of the building, I checked my watch. I had gotten out of the appointment forty-five minutes early, so there was no point in going straight to work. I decided to return home instead.

Sollux hadn't talked about what happened Friday after the party, and I was too conflicted about it to bring it up, hoping he had been too drunk to remember. Knowing how drunk Sollux usually got when he was angry or upset, it was a very likely possibility.

Sighing, I started my car engine and started to drive home. I had been regretting my decisions at that party nearly constantly. Terezi had been willing to talk, but I had blown her off as carelessly as I would a solicitor. I was getting to the point of forced apathy where I only felt a dull ache in my chest when thinking of her, which I assumed was a good sign. I unlocked the door to my house, finding Sollux waiting tersely in the entryway, arms folded across his chest.

"KK, what's this?" He held up a small black box.

I froze for a second, remembering. "Nothing." Moving quickly, I snatched the box from him and strode into our shared bedroom, stowing it deep inside a clothes drawer.

"Is that a ring?"

"It's… nothing." I turned to face him where he stood blocking the doorway. "Look, I promise I'll tell you when I'm ready, okay?"

Sollux's fuse, shorter than ever because of Aradia, finally reached the bomb. "And when will you fucking _be_ ready? When will we be able to talk about this without you dodging questions? When will you let go?"

Immediately firing up, I shouted back. "I've been doing my best, fuckass!"

"If this is your best, then this is going to take years," he retorted, turning abruptly and pacing into the living room.

Not in the mood for arguing with him, I stormed back out the door and down to the sidewalk. Screw the car, I'd walk to work. I had even walked six blocks before I remembered; my boss had given me the day off today, telling me to spend time with friends. I stopped in my tracks, checking my location. I was about halfway to Rose's office, and from there it was only a mile to work. Spinning around, I think about my options of where to go. I could go back to Rose's office, but she probably has appointments, and I hadn't thought of any goals yet, so we didn't really have anything to talk about. Other than Sollux, I don't have any close friends to talk to, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to see my face right now. Deciding to just wander around, I continue walking down the sidewalk.

After a couple minutes, I reach a small busy park that I've never visited before, having only found it from not having a destination. I sit down on a bench idly, looking around. There's a small fountain in the second, a few families having late Sunday picnics around it. And—I squint, not being able to see clearly due to the crowded park. Terezi and Gamzee were sitting together on the edge of the fountain, sharing a red soda bottle. To a stranger, they looked like just another young couple enjoying another's company on a sunny Sunday afternoon. But I—knowing them as well and long as I did—was able to see the stiffness in Terezi's shoulders when he put his arm around her, giving me a gloating feeling of satisfaction that their relationship wasn't the perfect match that it seemed. Breaking that train of thought, I resolved to go calmly talk to them; I start to walk towards them, weaving my way around children and couples. Pausing on the edge of the fountain area, I examined them more closely, taking in the slightly dangerous look in Gamzee's eyes when he looked at her. Worried, I studied Gamzee more carefully. His dark skin and black hair were normal, but there was something different about his grin. The Gamzee that I knew from middle school, high school and early college, the Gamzee that valued peace and happiness and would never want to do anything to hurt his friends; he was gone forever. In his place was this wild, treacherous Gamzee that I didn't know.

With a flash of anger, I noticed some faint bruises on Terezi's arms, and Terezi wasn't clumsy enough to accidentally gain so many bruises over such a short period of time.

_Terezi wasn't clumsy enough to accidentally gain so many bruises over such a short period of time._

I held myself back, not wanting to make a scene. Spinning around on my heel, I headed home, releasing my rage through walking. Soon all the anger had drained out of me, leaving a contentment that I hadn't felt in a long, long time. Thinking back on the park, I realized; I hadn't felt the hole in my chest that Terezi left three years ago. I was finally over her.

I opened the door to Sollux's and my house, and smiled, because I was properly hungry for the first time in years. I was checking the fridge for something to eat when I heard the voice behind me.

"Where have you _been?_"

I spun around, startled, shutting the fridge behind me. Sollux was leaning against the kitchen door, arms crossed, eyes unreadable. "I… I took a walk," I answered lamely, backing up defensively to the counter.

"_Do you have any idea how fucking_ _worried I've been?_" he hissed, advancing, expression torn.

"W-worried?"

"Yes, worried! I'm supposed to be taking _care_ of you, Karkat! How can I do that when you run off every five minutes?" He falls to his knees at my feet, head in his hands.

I pull him up cautiously, hugging him. "I didn't know. I'm sorry."

He pulled back, moving his face to mine, hovering a few inches away before finally kissing me gently. "How could you not know?"


	6. Chapter 5

As he leans down to kiss me again, I duck out of his arms, backing against the counter. "No, no no no no no no no. What the actual fuck?"

He looks surprised—how the hell can he be surprised?—and moves towards me. I continue backing away, putting space in between us. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"I—."

"You know I'm not… you know I'm not gay!"

"Listen, I—."

"I'm straight, alright? I'm pretty fucking sure I'm straight. Sorry if I gave you the wrong idea, but you'll also have to fucking deal."

"KK, shut up and listen to me!" he roars, sweeping a hand across the counter, knocking cups and plates to the floor where they fell with a clatter. "I know… I know you aren't gay." His face contorts, and he presses a hand against his eyes. He continues, his voice much softer, barely audible. "I guess… I just wanted to tell you how I felt… I guess… fuck this." Pushing past me, he walks towards our bedroom. I could visibly see his shoulders shaking as he closed the door, the lock clicking behind him.

I composed myself, tucking away the confused and hurt emotions inside of me, before heading quietly towards the door. Knocking softly, I tested the knock, definitely locked. "Sollux?" There was no response; either he couldn't hear me, or he didn't want to. Giving up, I flopped on the couch, resigned to spending the night on it.

I really didn't know how he'd thought I'd react. It wasn't like I was expecting this—the truth was far from it; I had hoped our arguments would cease now that I was done moaning over Terezi—and he knew I wasn't gay as well. I had thought the kiss after the party was all that it was: a drunken kiss. Unfortunately, it seemed as though there were strings attached.

Putting all these thoughts out of my mind for the moment, I decided to actually do something useful. Moving from the couch to the second bedroom Sollux and I used as an office, I sat down at my desk, setting a pen and a blank sheet of paper in front of me. My next appointment with Rose was in two days directly after I finished my work shift, and I hadn't come up with any goals yet. Staring at the paper vacantly, I thought through what courses I had taken at college. I had done prey well in Psychology—I had no idea how—but I found psychology extremely boring. I had enjoyed all the math courses I had taken, but there wasn't much you could do with just math. With a slight burst of despair, I realized that I had taken a too-well-rounded curriculum in college to have any luck in a specialist career. Cursing my naïve college self for not having a purpose, I slam my pen down on the desk, walking to the kitchen to forage for some food. Returning with a handful of grapes, I glance around the office. My eyes were immediately drawn to Sollux's laptop, which was balancing on two even stacks of books. Trying and failing to resist the urge to snoop, I snatched it up and sat back down at my desk, flipping up the top. I typed in his password, _Gem1n1_, and opened his email. I opened the most recent chat, grimacing at all the stupid typing quirks they insisted upon using.

**gallowsCalibrator started chatting with twinArmageddons at 8:42 AM 7-26-12**

GC: SOLLUX

GC: H4VE YOU CARR1ED OUT YOUR PL4N Y3T?

GC: YOU KNOW, TH3 ON3 YOU TOLD M3 ABOUT L4ST N1GHT :]

TA: no

TA: ii'm thiinkiing about doiing iit later

TA: we'll 2ee how it goe2

GC: 4WWWWW YOU'LL H4V3 TO T3LL M3 HOW 1T GO3S :/

TA: what about you?

TA: how ii2 your… relatiion2hiip going?

GC: … 1T GO3S W3LL

TA: don't liie to me tz

TA: ii know what he2 been doiing two you

GC: W3LL WH4T3V3R

GC: JUST DON'T T3LL K4RKL3S

GC: H3 W4S TORN UP 3NOUGH THR33 YEARS AGO

TA: you stiill call hiim karkle2

TA: even though you two broke up liike forever ago ii2n't that a liitle iin2en2iitiive

GC: SO WH4T :?

TA: whatever

TA: you'll figure iit out eventually

GC: YOU N33D TO C4RRY OUT YOUR PL4N

TA: ii told you ii'm thinking about iit

TA: more iimportantly you need two break up with gz

GC: WHY?

TA: iit'2 not even a 2ecret anymore

TA: iit2 not a good relatiion2hiip

GC: 1 C4NT

TA: what do you mean you can't

GC: 1 JUST C4NT OK4Y?

TA: iit2 2o fuckiing 2iimple

TA: you walk up two hiim and tell hiim

GC: 1TS NOT TH4T S1MPL3

GC: BUT 1'LL TRY

GC: 1 GU3SS

There was more, but I didn't feel like reading it anymore. Scrolling down through his chats, I opened another one from about three weeks ago.

**gallowsCalibrator started chatting with twinArmageddons at 9:13 PM ON 7-14-12**

GC: 1 N33D YOUR H3LP

GC: …

GC: SOLLUX?

GC: 4R3 YOU 3V3N TH3R3?

TA: 2orry ii wa2 workiing

TA: what do you need help with?

GC: K4RK4T

TA: why what2 wrong with hiim

GC: H3 D1DN'T T4K3 M3 4ND G4MZ33 W3LL

GC: 4T 4LL

TA: wa2n't that two be expected?

TA: anyway, ha2n't iit been two and a half year2?

TA: 2houldn't he be over you by now?

GC: 1 DON'T KNOW

GC: H3 H4SN'T T4LK3D TO 4NYON3 1N 4 Y34R

GC: 4ND B3FOR3 TH4T H3 ONLY T4LK3D TO N3P3T4

GC: 4ND TH4T W4S ONLY B3C4US3 SH3 WORK3D W1TH H1M

TA: you know you brought thii2 upon your2elf right

TA: iif you care thii2 much why diidn't you ju2t 2tay wiith hiim iin the fiir2t place

GC: SHUT UP :[

GC: TH4T DO3SN'T M4TT3R

GC: 1 N33D YOU TO H3LP M3

TA: why do you need my help

TA: why not np or that fii2hdiick ed

GC: K4RKL3S H4T3S 3R1D4N

GC: 4ND N3P3T4 1S TO BUSY W1TH H3R N3W JOB 4ND H3R 4RT

TA: 2o why me

GC: COM3 ON SOLLUX

TA: what

GC: 1'V3 KNOWN 4BOUT 1T FOR Y34RS

TA: known about what

GC: DON'T PLAY DUMB

GC: 1TS SO OBV1OUS

GC: 4T L34ST FOR M3 1T 1S :]

TA: what the hell are you talking about

GC: COM3 ON SOLLUX

GC: YOU'V3 L1K3D K4RK4T FOR OV3R F1V3 Y34RS

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. I hadn't known—I had thought it was just a silly crush! Five years? Feeling slightly sick, I exited out of Sollux's email and closed the laptop, setting it back where I found it. I walked back to the couch, lying down and closing my eyes. Hopefully I'd be able to talk to Sollux in the morning.

However, the next morning, for the most part of the day, the only time I saw Sollux was when the door slammed behind him as he went to work. Groaning and rubbing my head, I got dressed and started making myself breakfast. It would be harder to talk to him than I thought. Deciding to corner him tonight instead, I finished getting ready for work.

As it was a weekday, it was a very long and tedious work shift. Somehow, I had gotten stuck at checkout again. I detested checkout; it required me to be civil and polite to the customers, and that was definitely not one of my many qualities. In the space of several hours, I could feel my patience, minimal to begin with, diminishing quickly as I dealt with incompetent customer after incompetent customer, made only worse by my stressing over repairing my friendship with Sollux.

"Hello?"

Jolted out of my bored stupor, I scowl at the customer. This one was worse than usual, his petulant expression grating on my nerves. Everything about him annoyed me, right down to his stupid bowtie.

"What do you want?"

He spoke in a hesitant matter, adding to my impatience. "I wanted to ask how much this would cost." He held up a box of Lucky Charms and a crowbar.

"Why the fuck do you need a crowbar? Do we even sell crowbars here?"

Face flushing slightly, the customer slams the two items down on the conveyor belt. "It's a boomerang, not a crowbar. And I need them for special reasons and purposes that an idiot like you wouldn't understand. So, none of your business."

"I know a fucking crowbar when I see one, you ass," I snarled viciously. "And what gives you the right to call me an idiot when you obviously are of much lesser intelligence?" Man, with all the time I spent around Rose and Kanaya, their vocabulary was rubbing off on me.

He flashes me a smug smirk. "I'm not the one working at Walmart."

I could feel my suppressed rage and frustration boiling inside of me, and I couldn't control it any longer. "Well you know what? You can take your crowbar and stick it up your sorry ass! You're probably going to use it to kill your ancient, wrinkled grandmother, that's how much of a pathetic psychopathic loser you are."

During my monologue, my voice had risen to a shout. The customer was glaring at me, snarling slightly. I was faintly aware of everyone around us staring at us.

"Vantas!" My boss was striding towards me. I wasn't surprised by the satisfied smirk on his face; he'd always had it in for me. "My office, now."

Letting off a string of swear words, I stomped my way to the boss's office, but not fast enough to miss seeing him put on a greasy smile and apologize to the customer. I sat in the swivel chair in front of the desk, stuck my hands in my pockets, and spun myself in circles, scowling angrily.

I had just spun away from the door when it slammed shut behind me. My boss sat down and his desk slowly, glaring at me. Ignoring him, I let myself spin to a stop before propelling myself once more.

After a couple minutes of this, his tolerance wore out. "Vantas, stop spinning that damn chair," he snaps. He appears to try and calm himself down to no success before pasting a phony smile on his face, apparently in an effort to be friendly. "Look here, Vantas. You've worked here for a long time. Maybe it's time you moved on."

"Are you firing me?" I asked bluntly.

"Well, I suppose you could look at it that way…"

"Fine." I stood up, adding sarcastically, "Thank you for your time." Walking out of the office, I grabbed my jacket and keys, and without a backward glance, left the store.


	7. Chapter 6

It was only when I was in the safety of my home when the entirety of what just happened hit me. I collapsed on my knees directly in front of the door, cradling my head in my hands. I was fired. Letting off another string of swear words to let off some stress, trying to rationalize my way through this. I'd have to go job hunting soon… And man was Sollux not going to be happy with me. Not that he was already.

The rest of the day passed extremely slowly. Out of boredom, I was on the internet, half looking for jobs, half just goofing off. A noise sounded from my laptop, and I sighed, beginning the tiresome search of figuring out which page was the source of the noise, seeing as I had about ten tabs open. Several more noises sounded before I had found the source, pissing me off. It turned out that someone had messaged me on my email account. I sighed, wondering who was messaging me, and why they would talk to me, seeing as the only two people I had really kept in touch with for the past few years were Sollux and Nepeta. Sollux would definitely not be messaging me, and Nepeta… well, she was probably busy.

**gallowsCalibrator began chatting with carcinoGeneticist at 7:30 PM on 7-28-12**

GC: H3Y K4RK4T, YOU TH3R3?

GC: PROB4BLY NOT

GC: FUCK 1T, TH1S H4S GON3 ON TOO LONG

GC: 1'M COM1NG OV3R TO YOUR HOUS3

**gallowsCalibrator has ceased chatting with carcinoGeneticist at 7:47 PM on 7-28-12**

Groaning, I sat back in my chair. Why was she deciding to come over now of all days? And why was she even talking to me in the first place? I hadn't encouraged her at Kanaya's party, as long ago as that seemed, and we had barely even seen each other since.

Terezi didn't give me much time to collect and prepare my thoughts, for the ring of the doorbell sounded about 30 seconds after I had put away my laptop. I answered the door reluctantly, ushering her inside and leading her to the kitchen.

"May I know the reason for this pleasurable visit?" I asked sarcastically, leaning against one of the counters.

She fidgeted for a few moments. "I broke up with Gamzee," she said unexpectedly.

"Oh, congradu-fucking-lations." The callous words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. "I'll dig out the ice cream and we can watch some corny chick flicks."

She flinched, obviously trying to stay calm. "Look, Karkat, I made a huge mistake. Gamzee is an asshole—."

"You just figured that out?"

Flushing angrily, Terezi advanced a couple steps towards me. "I'm trying to apologize! I'm trying to fix this train wreck of a relationship!"

"Why are you even trying? It didn't seem to bother you too much before now." I snapped at her, eyes narrowing.

"I _said_ I was sorry—."

Fury was broiling up inside of me again, completely out of my control. "Yes, because I'm going to welcome you back into my house with a huge cheery fucking smile after you cheated on me with my _best friend_. I'm going to say 'Oh Terezi, I never stopped loving you', even after you didn't even try to help when I spiraled into depression. Did you talk to me? _No._ Did you contact me in any way? _No._" My voice had risen to a screech. "So get the fuck out of my sight!"

She screamed right back at me. "It was one fucking mistake! You were the one who sank into a catatonic mess of a nut job and cut ties with everyone! Of course I didn't try to talk to you! I was only trying to make it easier, so I wouldn't be shoving it in your face every time you saw me!"

I turned away from her, trying to regain control of myself. All I wanted to do was scream at her, to curse her, to make her feel the hurt I had felt those three years. Yet somehow, I knew that wouldn't help anything; it would only make me more stressed, and completely break off any ties with her.

Rubbing my eyes with both hands so she wouldn't see the tears that threatened to streak down my cheeks, I turned back to her. "Look, I'm willing to forgive you. I don't want to destroy our relationship completely. I… I don't want to start dating you again. I don't want to feel that way again." Terezi was silent, watching me. "I just…" I exhaled shakily. "This isn't a good time to talk right now. Maybe we can have coffee together sometime soon and talk it out later."

Terezi nodded, sweeping out of the kitchen. I heard the front door open and close behind her as she left.

Sollux still hadn't returned; I wasn't sure if I was relieved or disappointed. I decided to wait up for him, sitting down on the couch and turning on the TV. I must've dozed off from mental exhaustion, for when I woke up, it was much darker outside and the clock read 2:30 AM. It took me a while to realize what disturbed me. A key was rattling in the lock on the door.

Sollux staggered into the room, closing the door and slamming the keys down on the kitchen counter. I could tell he was drunk, but only just; he wasn't the intoxicated sludge he usually became after drinking. I watched him fumble with the bedroom doorknob for a few minutes before moving to stand next to him, leaning against the wall.

"Sollux, where have you been?"

He turns to glare at me. "Drinking. Why do you even care?"

"We're friends. Even if we're fighting right now, we still watch out for each other's backs," my voice faltered at the look he gave me, "right?"

"'We're fighting'," he mimicked me harshly. "More like you stabbed me in the back after I poured my deepest secret out to you."

"Look, I was just surprised-."

"Just surprised, right." He sneers, voice ringing with hurt.

"Look, I'm sorry," I sigh.

He stared at me for a few minutes. "Sorry doesn't cut it Karkat." He yanked open the door and stormed inside the room.

I followed him, pleading. "I really am sorry. Your confession was the last thing I was expecting, and I overreacted. I probably won't be able to make it up to you, but I just want you to know that I regret my reaction. I'm tired of us fighting all the time and I just want it to stop."

He stopped dead in his tracks, voice low and dangerous. "I have been in love with you for five years, Karkat. _Five years._ I've had to encourage you when you were in those relationships with Nepeta and Jade. I watched you date Terezi, watched Terezi cheat on you with Gamzee for a month and a half without you noticing, all the time thinking, you could be with me. A healthy, loyal relationship with me. I noticed when you dropped off the face of the earth after you and Terezi broke up. I was the one that came to help you through the breakup. And then… when I finally told you…" His voice broke badly.

Confused and indecisive emotions welled up inside of me. I was internally screaming, my brain going into overdrive. _What do I do what do I do oh my fucking god what am I supposed to do?!_

I'm not quite sure what happened next; I know I started walking towards him, then somehow my lips met his and we were kissing like I had never kissed before. I could feel the raw pain and longing as his hands moved to my neck and my lower back, pulling me in closer. The only thing I was aware of was the intense feeling of our mouths moving against each other, of the ripples of my shirt as Sollux moved his hands across my back. My arms had wrapped around his neck involuntarily somehow; I couldn't remember when exactly I had done it. Time seemed to freeze as we stood there. It could have been seconds, or days, or centuries, and we probably wouldn't have noticed.

I was the one who finally pulled back first after what must have been an eternity, backing away and shaking my head slightly. "I…" My mind was a whirlwind of emotions: confused and scared, panicking and wanting more all at once. "I'm sorry Sollux… I just… can't…"

And as I fled out of the house, I glanced back to see him staring after me.

I came back later that night—or rather later that morning—and snuck into bed quietly, trying not to wake up Sollux. He hadn't waited up for me. I wasn't surprised, as he had been out drinking before what I was now mentally referring to as "the incident" happened. My short escapade hadn't cleared my head at all. Instead, my emotions were in more turmoil than ever after my attempt to sort them out. _It's like I'm a hormone-crazy teenager again_, I thought miserably. Rolling over onto my other side, I closed my eyes, deciding to get some sleep.


	8. Chapter 7

Bright sunlight woke me up the next morning. I sat up in the bed, rubbing my eyes to clear my vision. Sollux's half of the bed was empty, the sheets neatly pulled up to the pillow. I glanced at the clock. "Shit!" I leapt out of bed, grabbing clothes haphazardly from the closet and turning on the shower. I was almost late for my appointment with Rose; it started at 2:00 and I had to be there in fifteen minutes. It wasn't until I had grabbed a banana and had started the car that I realized I had grabbed one of Sollux's shirts. I swore loudly. There wasn't time to go back and change. To make matters worse, I remembered halfway to Rose's office that I had also forgotten to come up with a list of possible jobs. I racked my mind desperately for a few minutes before giving up. I would just have to apologize to her for that as well.

Somehow, I managed to sprint into the office only twenty minutes late. Kanaya wasn't at her desk, which was strange for her. I merely shrugged it off, assuming that she had the day off or something. I rapped lightly at the door before opening it and stepping inside.

"Sorry I'm late, I…" My voice trailed off mid-excuse, my eyes widening. Rose looked up from where she was sitting on the desk, Kanaya also spinning around to face me, hastily crossing her arms over her chest. They had obviously been kissing, judging from the way Kanaya's lips were slightly bruised and from her crumpled black sweater lying on the floor.

I stood there awkwardly for half a minute, not meeting their eyes and staring at the floor. "I should probably just go," I said lamely.

Rose calmly slipped off of the desk, picking up Kanaya's sweater and handing it to her. "No, it's fine Karkat. We'll just extend the timeframe of your appointment." As I was about to politely protest, she held out a hand to stop me. "It's no problem. You're the only appointment I have today." They didn't even seem embarrassed. I gaped at them wordlessly. Kanaya, pulling on her sweater, brushed past me back to her desk, closing the door behind her.

I fumbled for the right words. "So you… and her… are together?"

Rose looked at me, her eyes amused. "Yes, we are currently in a relationship, and we have been for almost a year now."

"Uh, right." I sat down in the chair in front of the desk. "Does this surprise you?"

"I wasn't really expecting it," I admitted. "I guess you both seem like… the type though."

Rose chuckled, pulling out my file and flipping through it. "How are things, Karkat?"

I exhaled heavily before answering. "Good."

"They don't sound very good."

I tilted my chair back, examining the ceiling. "That's because everything is fucking crappy right now. Absolute crap."

I could sense her watching me carefully. "In what way?"

"My housemate just professed his undying love to me and I just lost my job." I snorted derisively. "I don't think it could get much worse than that."

"How did you respond to Sollux telling you?"

Her tone was much too curious. I let my chair fall back onto all fours, eyes narrowed. "Why do you care?"

She smirked on me infuriatingly. "Kanaya and I placed bets on your reaction."

"Why the hell do all of you losers know about this?" I changed my mind rapidly. "Never mind, I don't want to know. So are you going to give me advice on what the fuck I'm supposed to do or sit there smirking for the rest of this shitty appointment?"

"Judging by what happened early this morning—"

I changed my mind again. "Okay seriously, how do you know about all of this?!"

"My cousin is a bartender. Sollux spends a lot of time drinking, does he not?" she replied coolly. "Now, as I was saying. Judging by what happened early this morning, you are uncertain of your sexuality, and thus, you don't know how to respond to any of the recent events. So you continue to push him away out of confusion." Rose set her clipboard down on the table. "Would you like my opinion on all of this?" I nodded. "I have a friend who owns a small sweet shop not far from here. He's needed a co-worker for a while, but hasn't found anyone permanent yet. I would suggest that you go work there, and make some friends other than Sollux."

I considered her proposition. It would give me a job. It wasn't like I had found anything else on my excessive browsing on the internet yesterday afternoon, so I didn't really have another option. Plus there was the problem of Sollux. I still hadn't told him that I had been fired yesterday, and as far as I was concerned, I wasn't going to. And if I took this job, I would probably never have to.

I made a swift decision. "I'll take the job."

"Good!" Rose smiled, handing me a business card. "I think you and my friend have met in high school. His name is John Egbert…?"

I could feel my nose wrinkle slightly involuntarily. John was one of those people in high school where I wasn't quite sure why I even hung out with him. He was the typical awkward teenager; he looked like an eighth grader all four years, was barely over five feet, and his teeth were wired together with braces for as long as I could remember. He had always rubbed me the wrong way, but somehow we had remained sort-of-friends. Fortunately, I hadn't had any reason to contact him after graduation.

Unfortunately, I wasn't in the position to turn down a perfectly good job just because of the coworker.

"When do I start?"

**a/n: Ahhh… short chapter is short. It was mostly a bridge chapter to better things. You'll just have to forgive me. The next chapter should be much longer though…**


	9. Chapter 8

The next morning, I was up at the same time as Sollux for once.

He blinked at me, his question actually sounding something other than cold for the first time since the incident. "I thought your shifts started at ten."

I shrugged, averting my eyes from his gaze. "I found a better job and quit my Wal-Mart one."

"Good for you." The disinterested tone was back. I sighed; I had no idea how I was ever going to overcome this barrier that had been growing between us with every squabble. Hopefully, I would soon get my damned emotions under check so I could figure his whole mess out.

I left soon after Sollux had disappeared into the office to work on whatever programming project he was assigned. A twinge of envy flashed through me. Way back when, I had longed to belong in the world of coding and programming that Sollux belonged in. Having no talent for it, however, I had soon given up on that dream.

I arrived at the sweet shop ten minutes before I was actually supposed to be there.  
"Hello, and welcome to the Harlequin Sweet Shoppe!" chirped a voice as I walked in. "Oh, Karkat! You're early! I wasn't expecting you for another five minutes."

I am not proud to say that my jaw literally dropped open when I saw John. Gone was the dorky awkward teenager that I was accustomed to in high school. In his place was an almost completely different person. In the several years that I hadn't seen him, he had sprouted several feet, now towering over me by what must have been at least a foot. The braces were gone, revealing gleaming white teeth that stood out against his sun-darkened skin. He had packed on a lot of lean muscle-he must've continued swimming after high school. The only things similar to the John Egbert I had known were the familiar buck teeth still present in his smile and the dark brown hair that still stuck up in unexpected places.

I quickly shut my mouth, and trying not to stare, looked around the cozy shop. "Uh... Hi?"

Oblivious as ever, John didn't notice my open-mouthed surprise to his magical transformation, or my slight discomfort with it. "I'm glad Rose sent you over to help me out! I mean, my cousin Jane used to help me out, but now that she's married, she doesn't really have time. I've been looking for a helper for a really long time too. I just haven't found anyone yet." He shrugged. "Oh well. Now you're here, so I don't have to worry about that anymore!" I guess another thing hadn't changed about John; he still never shut up. "I suppose you're surprised that I'm running a sweet shop, huh? You know, in high school I was boycotting them. Well, Jane got me into baking, and it was actually quite fun, as long as I don't actually have to eat them! So now I have this shop, and we sell cupcakes and cookies and fudge and just regular candy as well. I also make cakes to order, but I don't prebake them because they get stale too quickly, and I just hate having them sit around! But you don't have to worry about that!" he told me, laughing. "I'll just have you clean the floor and counters and stuff, and man the cashiers while I bake. I'll try not to keep you too late in the evenings." He walked out from behind the counter, holding out a key. "Here's a spare key to the place. Wouldn't want you getting locked out or something, would we?"

Throughout this entire monologue, I had been standing dumbstruck, staring at him. It took me a few moments to realize he was trying to give me something. I pocketed the key, swallowing. "What should I do first?"

"I'll have you work the cashier for any customers; since I need to bake another batch or snicker doodles." He sighed dramatically. "We always seem to run out by noon. Well, if you need help with anything, just ask! I'll be in the kitchen."

I had only stood behind the cashier for ten minutes before I started to get bored. Grabbing a broom, I idly started to sweep the floor, figuring that it was too early in the morning for customers anyway. So I wasn't expecting the bell attached to the door to tinkle merrily thirty minutes later, announcing someone's entrance to the shop. I quickly moved behind the cashier once more, not wanting to be caught off guards.

A guy that looked maybe a year older than me walked up close to the counter to lean against it lazily, face expressionless and eyes concealed by a pair of huge aviators. "I don't know who the hell you are," he drawled in a Texan accent, "but I'm looking for someone by the name of John Egbert."

John bustled out of the kitchen, wearing a powder blue apron and brushing sugar and cinnamon off of his hands. "Dave! What's up bro? I assume you want the usual?"

As Dave nodded nonchalantly, I looked between them, trying to decipher what type of relationship they had. Having watched so many romcoms in my life, I was usually pretty good at this, but Dave was a tough nut to crack. There was nothing about his expression that I could read whatsoever. Frustrated, I examined his other features. His hair was pale blond and smooth, waving only slightly at the ends of the strands and at his bangs. He was around the same height as John, but less muscular, though it was hard to tell from the baggy red sweatshirt he was wearing. A pair of headphones was around his neck: white with a red gear on the earpiece. I frowned. The only thing I could gather from his appearance was that he liked to hide his emotions and that he was unusually good at it.

John was fitting a sixth chocolate donut into a box, shutting the lid and handing it to Dave. "Here you go! Are we still good for next Saturday?"

"If you want. I still have nothing going on."

"Good! I'll see you tomorrow then."

I watched John watch Dave walk out of the shop, a small wave of curiosity rising up in me. "What's next Saturday?"

"Oh, we're just going out to eat."

"I never pictured you as gay," I commented, smirking as a flush rose in john's cheeks.

"I am not a homosexual!"

"Whatever," I muttered, sitting on a stool. John, clearly embarrassed from my light teasing, retreated back I into the kitchen. Soon the smell of baking cookies filled the air.

The rest of that day, and the rest of the days between then and Saturday, fell into a steady routine. I can't say I minded parts of it; it was nice to have a set work schedule for example. Every morning between nine thirty and ten thirty in the morning, Dave would enter the shop and buy six Chocolate donuts. We had established a sort of friendly banter, with John jumping in every once in a while with a somewhat witty comment. I would then run the cashier for the other customers, leaving the shop at around five thirty, depending on how busy the work day was. Other parts of the routine were not quite so pleasant. Every day I would come home from work and fix dinner, setting a place for Sollux even though he rarely ate with me, and then become used to the feeling of being given the cold shoulder by someone who used to be your best friend, the friend who you'd tell your problems and go out to eat with. I would give anything, _anything_ to say that this treatment from Sollux didn't bother me, but that would be lying through my teeth. Honestly, I missed the friend I had had. And the worst part was that I had no idea how to get him back.

I preferred to shove these depressing thoughts out of my head, focusing instead on strengthening my friendships with Dave and John. Now that I knew him better, I could recognize the small changes in expressions that betrayed what Dave was actually thinking. He was a lot less stuck up than I had originally thought too, with a wicked sense of humor that was sometimes just plain weird. I was extremely happy with my new job, and looking back, glad that the circumstances leading up to it had taken place.

Saturday morning, I woke up in a good mood, smiling to myself as I stared up at the ceiling. As I got out of bed, I tried not to notice the empty spot in the bed beside me, refusing to let Sollux ruin my good mood.

I took a lengthy shower, as I had woken before my alarm clock due to the bright September sunlight streaming through the windows. Changing, I glanced in the mirror at myself, pausing in pulling my shirt over my head.

This was the first time that I had really looked in the mirror since Terezi and I had broken up. I could see my ribs poking through my skin, though there was no doubt those were a lot less noticeable then they were around a month ago before Sollux visited for the first time. My dark brown hair was scruffy and stuck up everywhere, completely covering my ears and hanging across my eyes. Luckily, it didn't look terrible, so I could put off having a haircut until tomorrow since I had the day off. I didn't mind the way my body was slowly recovering from my three year stay in Hotel Depression though. To me, it was a reminder that no matter what happened; I couldn't recede into a shell. I couldn't mentally run away from the issue. I had tried it, and I had failed miserably.

I pulled on my jeans and a nicer button-down shirt, decided to actually looked like I tried that morning. Leaving the bathroom, I grabbed a banana from the kitchen and my scruffy backpack with all the things I needed for the day as I headed to the door, intending to walk to work.

The work day was especially dull. Dave didn't come in that morning, as he was coming to pick John up for dinner that evening. I skipped my lunch to help John with some baking, but managed to pilfer some donuts from the display case, slipping money into the cash register. Yet, even though the day was uneventful, all too soon it was closing time, and Dave had just called John to let him know that he was on his way.

I was wiping down the counters when John emerged from his precious kitchen, where he had been preparing a birthday cake for some little kid. "You can go home early if you want; I'll lock up tonight."

Hesitating, I thought about what awaited me at home. Sollux would probably stay out all night again. I would try waiting up for him, but eventually fall asleep at around four in the morning. If it was a weeknight, I would only get two hours of sleep. "Nah," I replied. "I can lock up. You and Dave have fun tonight."

"It really is no trouble," John insisted.

I sighed, admitting, "I just really don't want to go home."

John blinked at me for a few moments, clearly taken aback. "Why?"

"It's nothing. I'm just..." I exhaled softly, tossing the rag into the kitchen sink. "I'm just in an argument with my housemate right now."

"...Do you want to talk about it?" he asked after watching me for a few moments.

"No, I'm fine." I grabbed my backpack, slinging it across my back. "Are you sure you want to lock up?"

John didn't reply for a minute, watching me. "You could always come to dinner with Dave and me," he offered, shrugging. "I mean, I get what it's like to argue with someone you're sharing space with. In college, my roommate and I were fighting over some girl. He had to switch rooms, he was so sick of me."

"I can't just freaking intrude on your guys' plans."

"Dave won't mind. And I'm not about to send you home."

I grimaced at him gratefully, muttering a quiet "thanks", and helped him lock up the shop. We waited for Dave outside, the conversation moving to much happier topics as we laughed and joked around. Dave pulled up five minutes later in an old red convertible with only two seats.

John waved happily at him. "Hey, Dave! Karkat is going to come to dinner with us, okay?"

"It's fine with me, but I only have one open seat in my car."

"I can drive my own car," John told him, jangling his car keys.

Dave nodded, and I got in the passenger seat of the convertible, fastening the seat belt. "Nice car you've got here."

"My bro got it for me on my twentieth birthday." Smirking slightly, he tapped the steering wheel with his fingertips. "This car is my baby."

I raised my eyebrows at him, managing to keep a straight face as I replied. "I hope you fill her up with gas often, otherwise I don't see it as a very healthy relationship."

Chuckling, Dave started up the ignition with a satisfying roar of the engine. "So is there any particular reason you're joining us tonight, or did John just drag you along?"

"Actually, there is a reason, but I don't think it's any of your business."

"I think it is my business, seeing as I wasn't expecting a third person to join."

"I think you should learn to fucking deal with it."

"I think that you're probably still fighting with Sollux."

I flushed, already regretting having confided in Dave a couple days ago about the situation between me and my housemate. "I think you should shut your damn mouth."

He glanced over at me briefly, an eyebrow visibly quirked over his sunglasses. "Seems like I've hit a nerve. Tell me, is he still giving you the cold shoulder?"

Glaring out at the passing stores, I didn't answer for a couple minutes. "Yes," I admitted, sighing. "I just wish I knew what to do about it."

"Well, if you ask me, you and John have the same attitude here."

"Which is?"

"You two are both outrageously gay, and are both denying it heatedly."

"What!? I'm not gay!"

"Exactly my point." He stopped at a red light, looking over at me. "You're like a dog who tries to convince everyone that he's a cat. He almost manages to convince everyone, but then he sees himself in a mirror one day and finds out that he's actually a bird."

"That has to be the shittiest metaphor that I've ever heard," I snapped. "How is that even relevant?"

"My metaphors are fucking boss. You do not mess with the metaphors."

I shook my head in disbelief. "Whatever. The light's green."

Dave returned his gaze to the road. "Think about it. Have you kissed him?"

"... Yes..."

"Did you enjoy it?"

I didn't respond, looking away. To be honest, I hadn't thought about those times when we had kissed at all, stubbornly squashing down the confusing turmoil of emotions that broiled up inside of me every time it crossed my mind accidentally. _Had I enjoyed it?_ I wasn't sure. I remained silent for the rest of the car ride, attempting to figure it out.

Dave pulled into the parking lot of the bar. We had beaten John there somehow. "Karkat, look at me."

I did as he told me, not expecting what I saw. Dave had taken off his sunglasses to clean them on his shirt. I had never seen his eyes before: bright crimson with flecks of burnt gold around the edges. My mind had frozen, caught in the intensity of his gaze, even though he wasn't looking directly at me. They were beautiful; I had no idea why he kept them hidden behind sunglasses all the time.

_Wait. Did I just think Dave's eyes were beautiful?_

My mind jumped back into gear, whirring madly. What had just happened? Why did I think that? Did I think Dave was attractive? Was I actually gay?

Dave replaced his sunglasses, apparently not noticing what had just happened. "You should think it over during dinner. Try to figure it out." He unfastened his seatbelt, getting out of the convertible. "C'mon. We should probably go get a table before they all fill up."


	10. Chapter 9

To anyone that asked what exactly happened that night, I would insist that I didn't remember any of it as a direct effect of the alcohol I had consumed. This was not the complete truth. It was true that I had drunk more than a few beers, but I could still remember some parts of the night all too clearly for my liking. The dinner itself was the part that was the haziest. I remember drinking a round of shots with both Dave and John—which was probably why I couldn't remember most of that meal—and John insisting that he'd pay. I remember joking around with Dave at John's expense, causing the slightly slurred refrain of "I am not a homosexual!" to sound more than one time. The last thing I remember—thought certainly not very clearly—was the feeling of wanting something from Dave, though not knowing exactly what or how I was going to get it.

Unfortunately, I remember what came after dinner, though I never told anyone that.

John had left directly after paying the bill, muttering about how late it was. Dave and I had stayed to finish the last of our beers—his third and my fourth—talking about anything that crossed our minds. He had insisted on driving me home, and I had agreed, my mind blurry and unfocused. We left the bar, Dave supporting me slightly, as he was much less intoxicated than I was and could hold his liquor better, and got into his convertible. For some reason, Dave never started the engine, just leaning back in his seat and looking at me. I reached out and removed his sunglasses, wanting to see those wonderful, beautiful, amazing eyes once more. My breath caught in my throat as our eyes met, crimson staring into dark brown without looking away or blinking. Part of me was wondering what the heck I was doing, and the other, much larger part of me just didn't want to go home. My gaze flickered down to Dave's lips briefly, noticing that we had somehow leaned closer to each other. As soon as I had comprehended this, Dave had closed the distance and was gently pressing his lips against mine. If it was anything, it wasn't like the kisses I had shared with Sollux in the past. Those were desperate and wanting, hard and impatient. This... This was slower, but more lustful than anything I had encountered since I had broken up with Terezi.

My train of thought broke at the sensation of cold fingers playing with the lower buttons of my shirt, causing me to part my lips in a gasp, pulling back slightly. Guilt flooded through my mind instantaneously. I shouldn't be doing this. I shouldn't be here. I pushed Dave away quickly, not meeting his confused gaze. I was sure that if I hadn't stopped then, we wouldn't have stopped at all. "Take me home," I requested, quietly but firmly, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Dave hesitate before nodding.

The drive was completely silent except for when I gave him directions to my house. Giving him a small wave as I got out of the car, I unlocked the door, walking into the living room and sitting down on the couch.

"I can't do this forever, KK."

I looked up, startled. Sollux was sitting at the kitchen table; I must've walked right past him without noticing him in the dark. "... Can't do what?"

"I can't watch you hook up with other people."

I froze, staring at him. "What?"

Sollux continued like he hadn't heard me, his voice hoarse like he had been... had he been crying? "I was there, Karkat. I saw everything. I saw you and that guy..."

It took me a moment to figure out what exactly he was talking about. When it finally registered, the blood turned to ice in my veins. "Look, Sollux—"

"I can't _do this anymore,_ Karkat!" he interrupted me, finally looking up to meet my gaze. I unconsciously took a step back. This was a Sollux I had never seen before. His hair, thought normally messy, looked like it had been clutched at and torn at with his hands. His eyes had no light left in them; they were a bottomless pit of despair that I feared I would fall into if I looked too long. Sollux had always been cool and collected, even in anger. This was the first time I had seen him lose even his last vestige of control.

Even though this sight was emotionally terrifying, even though I wanted to stay calm and keep us from fighting again, I could feel myself retaliating, built up confusion and guilt and anger making its way to the surface. "I can't do this anymore either, Sollux! I have spent the last week trying to figure this... whole thing out, and it's not like you've given me any help! I have spent the last week getting ignored by you. I have spent the last week not wanting to go home to my own house!" I stopped for breath, panting slightly.

"Fine," said Sollux, standing abruptly. "Fine. I'll leave then. I'll let you 'figure this whole thing out.'"

I stood there, shocked. It had been the very last thing I was expecting. Move out? Sollux couldn't move out. He was supposed to live with me. The nurse had said so. _The nurse only said a couple months,_ a voice in my head reminded me. _It's been at least that long._ I crushed it in denial.

In the rather long time I had been standing there, Sollux had been packing his stuff into his duffel bag. The slamming of the front door behind him brought me out of my reverie, inspiring a sudden panic as I ran to the door just in time to see him drive off in his car. I slowly shut the door, a thankful numbness settling over me. Walking to the bedroom, I was surprised to see the black box that had inspired his confession all those days ago sitting on top of one of the bedside tables. Moving over to it, I picked it up gently and opened it, looking at the silver, turquoise, and garnet ring. A slip of paper caught my eye; the box must have been set on top of it. I recognized Sollux's scrawl as soon as I saw it.

_I knew you were planning to propose to her as soon as I saw this. I always wished you would give it to me instead._

A wave of grief washed through me, breaking apart the numbness as if it were a small twig. I flopped on the bed, unwanted tears squeezing out of my eyes. I had lost two loves. Didn't most people only lose one? And yes, I loved Sollux. I knew it now, and I wished I had figured it out hell of a lot sooner. I should have made him stay; I should have comforted him instead of losing my temper.

I should never have kissed Dave.

The tears increased, and sleep overtook me soon after.

"... and then he left," I said dully, glad that the explanation was finally over.

Rose regarded me shrewdly. "You love him, don't you?"

I laughed humorlessly. "You know what they say. You don't know what you've got until it's gone." I could feel her sympathetic gaze on me, and as soon as I looked up she averted her eyes, proving my suspicion. "Don't look at me like that," I snapped, looking away again quickly.

"Would you care for my advice?" I nodded. "I would suggest talking to him and apologizing. Though," she sighed, "you might want to ask Kanaya for help on this one. She knows him a lot better than I do."

I nodded again, standing and walking out to Kanaya's desk. After I had explained the situation to her, a much abridged version, however, she merely shook her head sadly.

"I can't recommend anything superior than Rose's suggestion. If I were in your place, I'd wait a week before meeting with him in person." Kanaya pulled out a pad of paper and scribbled down an address. "He's staying with Feferi Peixes right now." Tearing off and handing the paper to me, she laced her fingers together, examining me. "I know I'm no psychiatrist, Karkat, but have you ever considered writing all of this down? It might help you emotionally." I shook my head. She sighed. "Well, think about it at least."

I left the office, slipping the piece of paper in my pocket. I was extremely grateful for their help, but they did not understand the full situation. I hadn't told them about Dave.

It would take a lot more than an apology to make up completely with Sollux.

**a/n: I guess I was lying when I said happier times were coming. Oh well.**


	11. Chapter 10

_I walked into the high school and out of the harsh December wind, shouldering my dark red backpack into a more comfortable position on my back. I saw a group of my friends, and smiling, I moved to join them. As juniors, we had taken over one of the small alcoves near the cafeteria, politely ushering the naive freshmen out of the way. I joined them in this alcove, listening in on the conversation._

_Terezi was talking about what she wanted for Christmas. "My parents asked me this morning, and I told them, jokingly of course, that I wanted them to get off my back about being exactly like Latula. I know she's way cooler than me, but my parents aren't supposed to tell me that! So now apparently I'm grounded." Everyone laughed._

_Kanaya turned towards her. "What do you desire for Christmas?"_

"_Obviously a motorcycle. I've been asking for one ever since I got my license." She rolled her eyes. "I don't know how my parents wouldn't remember."_

"_Maybe they do not think a motorcycle is an acceptable driving option because of safety reasons?"_

"_Yeah, probably. Hey Karkat, what do you want for Christmas?"_

_I shifted my feet, slightly uncomfortable with everyone's eyes on me. "I don't know... I've always wanted a guitar, but I don't think my parents will get me one."_

"_Why not?" asked Sollux, his face disinterested._

"_They cost too much money, and they think I wouldn't play it often enough."_

"_That's really stupid," said Terezi. "I don't get why parents don't get things that their kids really want."_

_I shrugged. "It's mostly just the money problem."_

"_Still though."_

"_Maybe we'll just have to buy you one," Sollux joked, chuckling slightly at my surprised expression._

"_You'd do that?"_

_His eyes met mine briefly before looking away again. "Of course. Who wouldn't?"_

_The scene changed abruptly, jumping ahead approximately seven months._

_It was my birthday, June twelfth, and school had been let out the day previously. I had eaten a celebratory breakfast with my family—in which my brother had never shut up, but I digress—and had promptly gone out to spend the day with Terezi, who I had recently begun dating. I came home for another family meal for dinner, surprised when my dad asked me if I had bought a guitar while I was out._

"_No, I hadn't. Terezi and I spent all day at the laser tagging place. Why?"_

"_When I came home from work, there was one sitting on the doorstep in a case."_

_My jaw dropped. A guitar that just happened to find its way onto my doorstep on my birthday? There was no way it could be a coincidence. Either this was some weird trick from my parents, or one of the friends that I was standing with that day in December had decided to treat me. My mind flashed through the possibilities: Terezi, Sollux, Kanaya, and Gamzee... It could've been Kanaya or Terezi, but Sollux had been the one to actually suggest buying one for me. _

_It took me a moment to realize that my family was watching me expectantly. "Um... I don't know why it would be there. My friends might have gotten one for my birthday, but I wouldn't know who."_

"_Well, I expect you to find out, and sincerely thank them," my mother commanded. "That's a very expensive gift."_

"_I—I'll do my best." _

My alarm clock blared annoyingly, waking me from the sleep of the dead that had occupied me for the second half of the weekend and last night. Groaning loudly as I turned off the alarm, I rolled back over, choosing to purposefully forget the fact that it was a Monday and seven o'clock, meaning that I had to leave for work. The dreams that had occupied my sleep had seemed oddly familiar, as if they were almost memories from sometime in my pathetic purposeless timeline. I closed my eyes, trying to remember what they were about. The only thing that I could remember was the annoying son of a bitch of my brother that had talked all throughout all family meals and all family events and whenever he could fit a word in. Sighing exasperatedly, I gave up trying to remember my dream, letting sleep wipe my mind into peaceful oblivion once more.

I called John when I woke up that afternoon, telling him that I was sick and would have to take a few days off of work. He was surprisingly concerned, asking a lot of questions that I really didn't care to answer. I finally managed to get off the phone after an excruciating twenty minutes of relentless worry, telling him that I needed to rest. However, as soon as the distraction of John had been eliminated, the events of Saturday night—or rather, early Sunday morning—swept over my mind once more, leaving a path of despair and pain behind them. I slid my hands into the pockets of my jeans, pulling out the slip of paper Kanaya had given me yesterday.

Before I could even formulate a plan, I was already out the door and on my way to this girl's house, not caring that I was wearing torn jeans and a baggy sweatshirt, not caring that I had no idea who she was or that she lived almost thirty minutes away, not caring that I hadn't even taken a shower that day. All I knew was that I needed to apologize to Sollux; I needed to explain to him what had happened in my own words, even if all that resulted from it was a feeling of closure. I pulled into the driveway of Feferi's elaborate two-story house, practically running up to the front door and knocking forcefully.

The door opened a minute later, revealing a very pretty girl with long brown hair and suspicious blue-violet eyes. "Yes?"

"Is a Sollux Captor here?" I asked desperately, peering around her in the hopes that I would see him.

"Oh, you must be Karkat!" Her bright and cheery tone did not match her face, which darkened immediately with understanding and disapproval. "He's not here."

"Please, I need to talk to him—."

"I said he's not here!" she snapped, voice dangerous. "What are you, retarded?" I gaped at her. She continued venomously, "And even if he was here at the moment, I wouldn't let you see him! He's one of my best friends, and you broke his heart. Wait just one glubbing second; that was an understatement. You tore his heart out of his chest, shattered it, and ground it underneath your heel. No one," her eyes were burning with a rather disturbing dark fire, "hurts my friends like that, understand me? _No one._" Her tone creepily switched back to her previous bright and cheery one, smiling at me sweetly. "Oh, I don't think I've introduced myself yet. I'm Feferi, Feferi Peixes."

I returned home in defeat, deciding that from now on, I would avoid Feferi Peixes at all costs.

I still had to apologize to Sollux though. I would not let myself ever be happy if I could not do this one simple thing.

Sunday morning stabbed into my mind once again, and I grit my teeth, trying not to cry. Goddamnit there _had_ to be a way to talk to him. Somehow, there was a way. If only I could just _think_!

There was no point in just standing here; inspiration wouldn't grace me with her presence unless I was doing something.

Sighing, I grabbed my jacket that I had worn Saturday from the couch, opening the hall closet to hang it up. As I closed the door, I noticed a dark shape leaning against the wall. Recognizing it as my guitar, I pulled it out reverently, an idea forming tantalizingly slowly in my mind.

Now, if only I could find the right song...

Two days later, I drove to Feferi's house again. In all honesty, the protective side of her freaked the fuck out of me, but I had checked with Kanaya, and she had reassured me that Sollux was indeed staying there and that Feferi wouldn't actually stab me with a trident or something. I parked my car a block away, walking to the house cautiously, my guitar slung across my back. My plan was to make sure Feferi wasn't home before somehow making my way into the house, finding Sollux and trying to talk to him. And yes, the guitar was part of the plan; I just wasn't sure when exactly I could use it. I stopped nervously outside the front door, mentally reviewing my plan in case Feferi was home: strategized retreat. In other words, run like hell. I knocked loudly. There was no answer. An eyebrow raised, I rang the doorbell. To my extreme relief, there was still no answer. The next part was the true test of my luck. I gripped the doorknob tightly, turning it slowly... carefully...

_Damn._

It was locked.

Hoping that there wasn't some weird alarm system that I would somehow trigger with my presence, I walked around the house to the backyard, my eyes widening slightly. Man, this lady must be rich or something. The backyard was huge, not excluding a) a pond filled with some weird type of fish, b) a really expensive looking pool and hot tub, and c) a large greenhouse at the back of her property.

I shook my head, reminding myself that I was on a mission here. I climbed up the steps to a patio, testing the knob of the back door. Locked. I sat down on one of the patio chairs and leaned my head back, looking at the sky above me and thinking. Maybe I could just call it a day and try again tomorrow? Though if I did that, I'd run the risk of Feferi being home. No, it had to be now. If only I could find a way into that damn house...

The sound of something breaking and two sear words from inside caused me to jolt up from the chair, staring through the windows in an attempt to see where the sound had come from. A silhouette was stealing up the stairs. An idea struck me suddenly, a wonderful, beautiful idea.

A few minutes later, I was tossing rocks at one of the upstairs windows. I had no idea if Sollux would be close enough to hear or not, but hopefully he'd pass by and—

Sollux opened the window, looking down and seeing me. His mouth twisted in surprise. "What the—."

I held up a hand, stopping him midsentence. "Just listen." I pulled my guitar out of my case carefully.

"Karkat—"

"Just listen!" I insisted. I had Sollux's full and undivided attention now. It was a slightly daunting thought. My fingers shaking with nerves, I started the beginning chords of the song.

After hours of research, I hadn't been able to find the perfect song. So, after even more hours of musing, I had written my own. I had never sung in front of anyone before, let alone serenaded someone who you just happened to be in love with and who might just love you back.

I took a deep breath and began to sing.

"_You didn't have to look my way_

_Your eyes still haunt me unto this day_

_But you did, yes you did_

_You didn't have to say my name_

_Ignite my circuits and start a flame_

_But you did..."_

It was all true. Sollux didn't have to save me from the pit of depression I had found consuming me. He didn't have to stay with me, worry about me, and make sure I was getting help.

"_Oh Turpentine erase me whole_

_Cause I don't want to live my life alone_

_Well I was waiting for you all my life..._

_Oh, oh, oh_

_Why, I, I_

_Set me free, my_

_Honeybee..."_

I wasn't quite sure how it had happened, how things had progressed so quickly while seeming like it had all lasted forever. It could have been yesterday that I was huddled under my sheets, avoiding all reminders and hints of what I had lost. I had been so misplaced. Sollux had helped me see the light, in a literal sense as well as a figurative. He had come in and saved me, and I would always be in his debt.

And at this point...

All I wanted Sollux to know was that I loved him. That was it. I didn't give a shit anymore about apologizing or making amends or explaining what happened. All that was important right now was this.

The song was winding to a close, the guitar chords fading as I sang unaccompanied to the end of the song.

"_Hello goodbye, twas nice to know you _

_How I find myself without you_

_Hello goodbye, I'm rather crazy_

_And I never thought I was crazy_

_Hello goodbye, twas nice to know you _

_How I find myself without you_

_Hello goodbye, I'm rather crazy_

_And I never thought I was crazy..."_

The final notes rang out, loud in the sudden silence that followed. I glanced up at the window just in time to see Sollux turning away, heading back into the house. It hadn't worked. Hanging my head, I put my guitar back in its case, starting the walk back to my car. I had reached the sidewalk when I heard Sollux running up behind me. I paused, turning around to look back only to find my lips enveloped in his. I could feel his arms wrap around me—one around my waist and the other drawing my head in closer—as our mouths moved against each other. I wanted this to last forever; I wanted time to stop around us.

And for a moment, it felt like it would.

However, the world doesn't work that way.

"Quit it with the PDA," Feferi's teasing voice complained from the street. Sollux pulled away from me as Feferi parked in her driveway, rolling up her window.

Sollux rested his forehead against mine. "Karkat..."

"Shoosh," I instructed him with a small smile. "I don't care. It doesn't matter."

"But..."

I pressed a finger against his lips. "I love you," I told him quietly.

"I love you too."

**A/N: Song lyrics ****do not belong to me****. The song is Honeybee by Steam Powered Giraffe. That's not where I got my title or anything. And it's not like I've been planning that this whole time or anything.**

**We're on the home run stretch, people! **

**And the amount of chapters left depends all on you. As of this moment, I'm not sure if I want to add in a smut scene. You know, when two men love each other very much...**

**You guys are my deciding factor. If you want one, review and let me know. Otherwise I'll add in the final chapter and this story will be complete.~**


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